Former Florida GOP chair Christian Ziegler will not be prosecuted after 'false allegations' of rape

Florida's GOP chair Christian Ziegler will not be prosecuted after “false allegations” of rape and criminality.  

Back in January, after Ziegler was ousted from his position, police in Sarasota declined to pursue a rape case against him saying that video on his cellphone concluded a sexual encounter he had with a woman was “likely consensual,” according to a memo obtained by the New York Post.  

“Mr. Ziegler is relieved to be completely cleared of the false allegations and any criminal wrongdoing. We cooperated at every stage of the investigation and as difficult as it was, we remained quiet out of respect for the investigation,” Ziegler’s lawyer, Derek Byrd, told the outlet.  

In November a report revealed that the GOP chairman was under investigation for sexual assault and rape. Afterwards, the Florida GOP removed the chairman following controversy surrounding the allegations and replaced him with Evan Power.  

Video of the encounter, according to the police, revealed that she likely consented to the encounter as well as “acknowledged it was possible she could have consented” to a video being taken of the incident.  

The woman who made the allegations claimed to have known Ziegler and his wife for about two decades and that the alleged crimes took place in her house.  

Christian Ziegler’s wife, Bridget, who is also a co-founder of Mom’s for Liberty, faced calls to resign from Sarasota School Board but refused to.  

Byrd said that the former GOP chair will not pursue a lawsuit against the woman who accused him of the crime and just wants to move on from the incident.  

“We asked everyone not to rush to judgment and reminded everyone to presume Mr. Ziegler innocent — as the Constitution instructs,” Byrd added. “Unfortunately, many did not award that courtesy to Mr. Ziegler, damaging his family, career, and reputation throughout this process.”